The Little Merman 2: Return to the Sea
by Magi Magi Magician Gal
Summary: FINISHED! Sequel to 'The Little Merman' Heba, the son of Atemu and Yugi, loves the ocean. But Yugi forbids him from going there. Why? And why does this seashell pendent have his name on it? Blindshipping HebaxAtem
1. Chapter 1

**Alverna:** I'm back with a new story!

**Yugi:** She promised and here it is! The Little Merman 2.

**Atemu:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy.

**Alverna: **This is Blindshipping. HebaxAtem, _NOT_ Atemu. Atem is a different character.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Out on the ocean, soft singing could be heard from a ship that sailed. Inside the room of the singing, a young man with tri-colored hair and amethyst eyes, bent over the crib to pick up his three month old son and brought him to look at the view of the ocean out the window.

Yugi smiled as he looked out the window and held his son, Heba. He had truly been blessed in the last year. He had found his yami, his other half or soul mate, Atemu, and they had a child, a son that was a Hikari, like himself.

See, the unusual thing about Yugi was, he had been a merman, but had been changed into a human by his grandfather after one weird adventure of just trying to get to his Yami.

That was the special thing about merfolk, were the way mates were classified into two sections. There were Yamis and Hikaris. The Yamis were the more bolder and braver day to day. They were the type who were most popular in schools and often found there Hikaris. The Hikaris were the quiet and shy type, but had amazing hidden strength to do what they set their minds to.

The merfolk were often engaged and married to others, and if there partner died they could seek and take another if they so desired. But when they find their other half, their Yami or Hikari, it was for life. If they were currently engaged or married after finding their life mate, they could cancel the wedding or spilt from their current partner. After their soul mate dies, another mate would never be taken.

His friend Ryou had also been a merman and had changed into a human so he could be with his Yami, Bakura, and had given birth to their daughter, a girl with white hair and blue eyes, whom they named Kisara.

Ryou had carried a two weeks over term and Yugi had carried two weeks under. When it came down to it, Heba had been born a few hours earlier than Kisara, who had been born in the early hours of the next morning.

Yugi's friends Joey and Malik had also had discovered their Yami's, Seto and Marik. Both were human, but for some reason, the mermen hadn't turned to humans yet. Oh well.

As Heba began to squirm in Yugi's arms as some of the ocean spray hit the window. Yugi giggled at the action and began to sing.

"_You are my world, __my darling_

_What a wonderful world I see._

_You are the song I'm singing_

_You're my beautiful Hikari_."

Atemu came into the room smiling at the sound of his husband's singing. He had been really happy when Yugi had conceived their son, and was happier that Yugi's grandfather, the king of the merfolk, King Solomon, was holding a special ceremony today for his great-grandson.

"Darling, we'd better be going." Atemu said as he stepped into the room.

"Just look at him, isn't he glowing?" Yugi asked at their son's excited expression.

"He looks divine and you look exquisite, but look at the time." Atemu replied as the escorted the two out.

"It couldn't be." Yugi gasped as he looked to see how far from shore they were. "Is it?"

"The crew is awaiting your orders." High Priest Mahad smiled at the coupled as they came further onto the deck.

"We're sailing away from our borders." Dartz, captain of the Egyptian armada cheerfully chirped from the behind the wheel.

"Ahoy there!" Alister, another sailor called from the crows nest. "They're coming!"

"Trumpeters ready!" High Priest Seto, Atemu's cousin shouted to the soldiers. "Drummers, start drumming!"

Yugi smiled as he and Atemu walked down to the main deck, Yugi singing, one of his talents that he had inherited from his deceased mother.

"_Down to the sea we go,_

_Down to a world I know. _

_There's never been, not ever before, _

_A child born of sea and shore_."

The crew responded in song as Atemu, Yugi, and Heba approached Atemu's father, Pharaoh Aknankanon.

"_Down to the sea we go,_

_Down to the world below. _

_A journey to bless a prince-to-be,_

_Under the sun and under the sea_."

Thema, a Silver Fang that had been Atemu's longtime companion, and Kuriboh, a small brown ball of fur with purple eyes, peaked over the edge of the ship to see Joey and Malik jumping up next to the boat before diving back down into the ocean to alert the seafolk.

"Yugi's coming!" Joey called as he and Malik swam to the ocean, gathering the attention of fish, turtles, dolphins, and the merpeople. One such merfolk was Rebecca, a friend of Yugi's who for a long time thought she was his soulmate, but had found hers shortly before Yugi got married. Rebecca Hawkins and Leon von Schroder would be married in the next year, but right now, she was conducting the ocean band to play a hip-hop beat while she sang.

"_What's all the big commotion,_

_That's spreading through the ocean,_

_From sea to shining sea?_

_There is no hesitating._

_Today we celebrating._

_Yugi's little Hikari_."

Rebecca bounced along to the beat as she and Leon shooed the sea creatures up to the surface.

"_Today the sons and daughters_

_Are swimming through water_

_We gonna have a spree. Ha!_

_The boat is nearer now,_

_I think I hear him now,_

_Yugi's little Hikari_."

Many of the merfolk began to sing as they swam towards the surface of the ocean.

"_Up from the sea we rise,_

_Up to the world of skies._

_There's never been, not ever before,_

_A child born of sea and shore._

_Up from the sea we rise,_

_Up to the world of skies._

_Forever to be, together as one,_

_Under the sea and under the sun."_

Yugi walked to the edge of the ship, followed by Ryou who was holding Kisara. Gesturing to the seafolk bellow, the two merfolk turned humans sang to the infants.

"_This is your world my darling,_

_One world, the land and sea._

_My hope for you for always,_

_Is that your heart will hold part of me_."

Everyone stopped and stared as guards came out of the water, welcoming the good King Solomon of the merpeople, who used his magic to hold himself up at boat level so he could see the happy infants. The crew and merpeople sang in echo with each other.

"_Down to the sea we go, (Up from the sea),_

_Down to the world below._"

Yugi smiled and sang happily with everyone else as he held an excited Heba in his arms. This was the first time since the births that he had been able to see his grandfather, and the first time for Heba to meet any of Yugi's family.

"_Together we come forever to be._

_Under one sun, the land and the sea_."

Solomon smiled as Heba grinned at him, so he made a rainbow, much like the one he had made at Yugi's and Atemu's wedding. As the cheering behind him settled, he revealed the locket he had brought with him.

"Precious Heba." Solomon sighed as he held up the seashell locket with Heba's name engraved on it. "I'm giving you this locket so that you will never forget that part of your heart will always belong to the sea."

Opening the locket, a ball of magic swirled out and made a picture. It showed the underwater sea kingdom that had once been Yugi's home, with merfolk swimming around happily. A soft melody played, the same on that Yugi had sung a few minutes before.

As Heba cooed, Yugi smiled at his grandfather. It was perfect. Heba would remember he was of land and of sea with this gift.

As Solomon smiled back and placed the locket around Heba's neck, a long black tentacle shot out of the water and grabbed the baby prince right out of his mother's arms.

"Heba!" Yugi cried out as his child was carried out of his reach.

A tako, much like Pegasus appeared out of the water, riding on the backs of two manta rays, Rex and Weevil. Except this tako, was female.

She had blue eyes and shoulder length brown hair, and looked an awful lot like one of the palace servants, a girl named Tea.

"A party!" the female cackled as the rays carted her and Heba around.

"Pegasus' crazy apprentice!" Joey yelped as he dodged the crazy female.

"I didn't miss the cake and ice cream, did I?" the girl asked as she 'fawned' over Heba.

"Anzu!" Solomon growled

"Who?" Rebecca asked.

"Oh yeah." Malik shook his head. "You haven't learned about her yet."

"She's my twin sister gone bad." Tea explained. "She was banished from the palace for attempted murder on King Solomon, and Pegasus changed her into a tako and taught her everything he knew."

"Everything?" Bakura asked as he escorted Ryou and Kisara away from the edge of the ship. He didn't like the sound of that. Pegasus had been bad enough.

"That doesn't mean she actually can do anything." Joey replied. "99% of the time she messes up."

"Surrender the baby, or I'll-" Solomon thundered at the sea witch as his trident, which had strong magic and was used to keep the ocean in check, began to glow.

"Ah, ah, ah." Anzu tsked as she used her tentacles to climb the ship, save for the one that held Heba as her hostage. "Pegasus would have simply loved to have come... but something came up. Now-Now, what was it? Oh, yes. You all shish-kebabbed him!"

Yugi was starting to have a hard time breathing as he watched Anzu toss Heba up and down. Atemu quickly reached for his husband and held him close, planning the best way to cook the tako with his monsters and shadow magic.

"One minute you're on top, the next you're sushi." Anzu continued, not paying any attention to the glares she was getting, and pulling Mahad closed for two seconds. "Now, is that fair? I ask you. But then, whoever said we had to play fair? Oh, Keith!"

The back fins of a shark cut threw the water. It was Bandit Keith. He had once been a merman, but had been banished for stealing from the treasury. Keith had been one of Anzu's successful experiments. He now had a shark's tale and could change into a tiger shark at will.

"Make way, little mershrimp!" Bandit Keith bellowed at he plowed threw the seafolk. "I'm coming' through!"

Rearing upright on his tail, Keith opened his mouth as Anzu held Heba right over, barely holding on. Yugi gasped in horror at the sight.

"Now hand over the trident," Anzu demanded, "or your precious great-grandson, will be shark chow!"

"You can have anything you want." Solomon surrendered. "Just don't harm little Heba."

"Well, well. I get the trident." Anzu looked pleased how things were going her way. "Avenge poor, unfortunate Pegasus, and gain all the powers of the ocean! And it's not even 10:00. Not a bad morning."

'For you maybe.' Yugi growled in his head as he grabbed the dagger he had one his waist and cut the line holding a piece of the yard up.

"Hit the deck!" Atemu shouted as he dropped to avoid the piece of mast, which hit Anzu right in the stomach and knocked her off the ship.

But this also sent Heba flying, right towards Keith's open mouth. This time, Solomon could use his trident, and shrunk the shark to the size of an orange. Atemu had grabbed a rope and swung out to catch his son just in time.

"Heba!" Yugi gasped as he took his son back into his arms.

"What have you done to me?" Bandit Keith screeched. "Look at me! I'm an anchovy!"

"This isn't the end, Solomon!" Anzu sneered as she began to cast a spell. "It's just the beginning!"

"After her!" Solomon shouted, and the sea guards raced to stop her, but it was too late.

"You'll never find me." Anzu's voice rang as she, Keith, Rex, and Weevil disappeared in a spell cast ink cloud. "But I'll find you... and your precious great- grandson!"

"We shall not rest until that madwoman is vanquished!" Solomon declared. "Find her! Find her!"

* * *

A few hours later at sunset, Solomon, Joey, Malik, and Rebecca met Yugi, Atemu, Heba, Ryou, Bakura, Kisara, and Pharaoh Aknankanon at the ocean shore.

"I'm sorry." Solomon sighed with a heavy heart. "There is no sign of her. She's vanished. We'll keep trying."

"No sweetie, no." Yugi gasped as he picked up Heba, who had been crawling toward the sea. "Oh, we've got to keep Heba away from her."

"Yugi's right." Ryou agreed. "Anzu may try to go for Kisara next time."

"Until Anzu is found, Heba can't go in the sea." Yugi took a deep breath and voiced the painful choice he had made should the search fail. "And neither will I."

"But Yugi!" Rebecca gasped, Joey and Malik wearing similar looks of shock.

"I'm sorry, guys." Yugi shook his head.

"But if Anzu is anything like Pegasus," Ryou picked up "she'll never give up."

"This is the only way." Yugi continued as he took off Heba's locket and gave it back to Solomon. "Heba and Kisara can't know about merpeople or Atlantica... or even you, Grandpa."

"Very well, Yugi." Solomon sighed, conceding as Yugi turned back into Atemu's arms as he softly cried. "You're right."

Turning, Yugi, Atemu, and the rest of the human's walked back to the carriages that would take them back to the Egyptian Palace.

Solomon and the merteens turned back to the ocean, watching as the locket with Heba's name on it was dropped to rest at the bottom of the sea.

* * *

One thing I completely forgot to explain in 'The Little Merman', how Pegasus got the Millennium Eye. High Priest Aknadin was attacked by Pegasus when the ship he was on sank. Pegasus got the Millennium Eye, and Aknadin left the box that contained the Millenium Puzzle on the sinking ship. The same ship Yugi, Joey, and Malik were exploring in the first chapter of 'The Little Merman'.

And no, Joey and Malik won't change into humans because of the separation. I need them in the plot future.

* * *

**Alverna:** Why does the first chapter have to end sad?

**Bakura:** Who cares.

**Alverna: **I need love in the form of reviews!

**Marik: **What's with her?

**Ryou: **Her 'Song Shots' story and 'Egyptian Nights' story haven't gotten any reviews for their new chapters, so she feels unwelcomed by the fanfiction community.

**Malik: **Please review this story and her others so she feel importaint again!


	2. Chapter 2

**Alverna:** Chapter 2.

**Marik:** Where's 'The Sphinx King 2'?

**Alverna:** I'm working on it! Don't get your undies all in a twist.

**Malik:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2.

**Alverna:** Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

16 years later, many things had changed in Egypt. Pharaoh Aknankanon had past away, leading the country into a period of mourning. Atemu was now Pharaoh, Yugi ruling with him as his Queen and Great Royal 'Wife'.

Atemu and Yugi had two other kids, twins Aamir and Haniya, born five years after Heba. Heba had his mother's amethyst eyes, but his father's hair style and coloring. But the teenage prince was nowhere to be seen on this day.

His sixteenth birthday.

"Heba?" Yugi called as he walked through the palace. "Isis, Mana, have you seen Heba?"

"Not since this morning, Your Majesty." the high priestess replied as she grabbed the back of Mana's shirt to keep her from running off. Again.

With a sigh, Yugi turned to the training ground. Half of the time Heba was there, and the other half no one could find him.

"Seto, Mahad," Yugi called to the two in the ring. "Heba's not in here, is he?"

"No, Your Highness." Mahad responded with a bow as the two priests stopped sparring for a minute.

"The guest of honor missing?" Seto asked with a smirk.

"Again." Yugi nodded.

"You really need to get a leash for him." Seto said what he had said many times before.

"If I had a leash at his age," Yugi countered, "I would have never met Atemu."

"He has a point." Atemu said as he entered the room. "I've told Bakura and Ryou, and they can't seem to find Kisara either."

Kisara had grown into a beautiful young woman, with long white hair and sparkling blue eyes. She often wore a dress with one shoulder strap, having a need for simplicity like her mom.

"Aamir and Haniya are with Shada and Karim for their lessons." Yugi sighed. "At least we know where two of our kids are."

* * *

"Heba!" Kisara called as she bobbed in the ocean's waves past the wall.

Oh yeah. The wall. The last change to the kingdom.

To make sure that Heba, Kisara, and the twins didn't get into the ocean, and to keep Anzu from getting up the Nile River, a special gate had been constructed to let ships pass, but keep sea creatures out.

Heba however, had found a couple of minor flaws when he was 12 that allowed him to pass into the ocean whenever he pleased. And he had found a location where he could swim freely out of sight from all of the watchmen posted on the wall.

"Hey, Kisara." Heba grinned as he popped up next to his sister-friend and climbed up onto some rocks, water dripping from his shendyt. "What's kicking?"

"You know perfectly well what's kicking!" Kisara replied as she followed, her wet white dress clinging to her. "Now, come along. You gonna be late for the..."

-SPLASH!-

Heba had jumped off the rock and made a huge wave, cutting off the white haired girl.

"Sorry, Kisara." Heba giggled.

"Heba, how many times do I have to tell you?" Kisara groaned. "It is expressly forbidden for you to be swimming…"

"It is expressly forbidden for you to be swimming," Heba said in unison as mimicked Kisara's posture and tone of voice, "beyond the safety of the sea wall."

"…beyond the safety of the sea wall." Kisara trailed off.

"Any such swimming is a reckless disregard of the rules, don't you know?" Heba finished with a smirk that was very much like his father's.

"Stop that." Kisara sighed.

"Oh, Kisara." Heba giggled as he dove back in. "I can't help it. I just love the sea!"

"Hey!" Kisara shouted as she dodged water. "Come back here!"

But Kisara couldn't keep up with Heba. She had tried many times. Heba just seem to have this natural knack for fast swimming that she couldn't keep up with.

As Heba dove deeper, he waved to one of his dolphin friends and pointed down. The dolphin came over and let Heba grab onto his dorsal fin as he took the teen to the seafloor so he could look for shells and sea glass.

But what had caught Heba's attention this time, was a glitter that wasn't sea glass. A brief glance told him it was a shell that somewhat sparkled under its layer of ocean debris. Curiosity sparked, Heba went back towards the surface for a closer look at his discovery.

* * *

Elsewhere, where it was bitter cold and covered in ice, way south of Egypt, flashes of magic burst out of a cave. Cackles and giggles were heard as Anzu made more flashes with her undersea cauldron.

"Trust me!" Anzu exclaimed. "This time I'm sure I've got it right."

"That's what you said last time." Keith, still shrunken and unable to change to his mershark form, growled. "I was sore for a week."

"Oh, stop your carping and stand still." Anzu snapped as he lined up her aim.

"Oh," Keith moaned at the thought of what was coming, "this is gonna hurt."

Anzu rolled her eyes and ignored him. Taking a deep breath, she went through a series of motions that caused underwater electricity to rise out of the cauldron and shoot directly at the fidgeting Bandit Keith. Once struck, Keith grew to a full sized tiger shark.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Anzu cheered at her success.

"Uh-oh." Keith mumbled as he shuddered before changing into a shrimp.

Anzu growled and grabbed a potion ingredient and this time changed poor Keith into a sea slug. Slapping her hand to her face, she grabbed a few more ingredients that changed Bandit Keith into a series of mutated sea creatures before be poofed back to a shrunk tiger shark.

Rex and Weevil were laughing at the tiny shark's confused state.

"Oh, it's just no use." Anzu moaned as she flopped onto her underwater throne. "The power of the trident is just too strong for me to overcome."

"I bet Pegasus could've done it." Bandit Keith grumbled to himself.

"What was that you said?" Anzu growled.

"Nothing. I'm just saying..." Bandit Keith stopped and ducked as another potion ingredient was thrown at him, shattering on the ice wall behind him.

"Stop criticizing me!" Anzu shrieked and grabbed a sea star she used as a dart to throw at a poster of her sister. "That's all my mother ever did was criticize me! It was always 'Tea this' or, 'Tea that' or, 'Anzu, why can't you be more like your sister... Tea!'"

"Well, it isn't Tea's or Pegasus' fault I got miniaturized. It's yours!" Keith snapped.

"Is not!" Anzu snapped back.

"Your fault that we had to hide out here for 16 frostbitten years." Keith continued.

"Is not!" Anzu denied again.

"Your fault that we can never show our faces in polite society again!" Keith finished.

"You're really pushing it, small fry." Anzu growled as the two went nose to nose with each other.

A flash of light from the cauldron got their attention. Swimming over, the two saw a young white hair girl looking at a young man with tri-colored hair, (golden bangs, black base, and crimson edging), and wide amethyst eyes. The teen was looking at something in his hand, which shimmered under all of the sea grime.

"It's the locket!" Anzu and Bandit Keith exclaimed in unison.

"This is just the kind of break in the ice we've been waiting for." Anzu chuckled evilly. "When Yugi's innocent son uncovers the secret of that locket, he's going to have lots of questions. And who'll be right there with all the answers?"

"We will." Keith chuckled, catching onto Anzu's train of thought.

"Exactly!" Anzu grinned as a plan formed in her mind. "He'll be the perfect tool for Solomon's undoing."

"And I'll get to be big again." Keith's eyes began to dilate as he imagined himself taking down hundreds of merfolk as a tiger shark.

"Finally I'll succeed at the one thing my master or sister never could." Anzu cheered.

"Really, really big again!" Keith yelled.

"Total domination of the seas!" Anzu screeched as he grabbed Keith's tiny fins and began to do an underwater waltz.

"I'll be huge!" Keith cheered, still stuck on size.

* * *

"Heba, please." Kisara pleaded with the stubborn teenager. "If our parents ever found out we've been swimming out here-"

"I know, I know." Heba growled softly as he placed the shell he had been examining in his pouched. "They'd flip."

"I give up." Kisara sighed as Heba dove back into the water and floated past on his back.

"Hey, Kisara..." Heba pulled himself upright on a rock to watch the sunset. "What do our parents' got against the ocean anyway? I mean, how could there be anything wrong with something so... wonderful?"

Kisara shrugged. Yeah, she had wondered about that. She had gone swimming with Heba in the ocean often enough when they were younger, even pretending they had fins instead of legs. But she stopped a couple years back when a shark got a little to close for comfort. But that event had only made Heba want to come more.

"I wish I could tell my mom how I feel." Heba sighed as he glanced towards the wall and shut his eyes. "But he'd never understand. I hope that I can tell him how I really feel, someday."

"Oh, yes, by all means." Kisara sighed exsasperatly as she just about freaked out. "Just waltz right in and tell him you been out here, _swimming in the ocean_! We could just have a big party."

"The party!" Heba gasped as he eyes shot open in shock. How had he forgotten?

"Now you remember?" Kisara asked, but received no response as her brother-friend began a quick swim back to the wall, and their home.

* * *

**Alverna:** CUT!

**Ryou:** Is she okay?

**Bakura:** No telling. Maybe some reviews will help.

**Seto:** Review or I will crash your computer.

**Joey:** Can you do that?

**Mokuba:**I wouldn't be surprised.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alverna:** Okay, I admit it. This story has my whole attention, so updates for 'Egyptian Nights' and actually starting 'The Sphinx King 2' may take a little longer.

**Audience:** BOO!

**Alverna:** -dodges pickforks and whatever else the readers can find- At least I'm being honest!

**Yugi:** She does have a point.

**Atemu:** But people are waiting.

**Alverna:** I'll work on it now. I'm in a typing mood.

**Serenity:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. This is a just for fun story.

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Heba held his breath as he and Kisara passed through the underwater grates. All he had to do was move this piece of medal here, and they could swim right through before putting the metal back into its place.

As the two popped up next to each other, Kisara activated the shadow magic she had inheritated from her father to darken her hair, so they now could swim up river to the palace unnoticed. They paused as they spotted Yugi and Ryou walking around outside, looking for them with a Silver Fang.

Sneaking past and slipping threw a window, the two made it back inside and safely to their rooms. But along the way, they heard some members of the kingdom gossiping.

"If you ask me, the prince is a little strange." Lady Vivian, named after her mother who had once been a palace servant, said. "But he's cute."

"I heard the child of Lord Bakura talks to fish." her date replied.

"It should make for an interesting party." Vivian giggled.

The two looked at each other sadly and silently went into their individual rooms to bathe.

Outside, Yugi still searched for Heba while Ryou went back inside to relook. The Silver Fang next to him wasn't Thema. The faithful wolf had passed away three years back. This was her four year old son, whom they had named Tamim. Smiling as Tamim sniffed around, Yugi looked towards the ocean, a faint feeling of homesickness swelling in his heart.

"I miss you, Grandpa." Yugi sighed. "I wish you could be here with us."

Glancing around briefly, and seeing no one was watching, Yugi slipped off his shoes and stepped into the edge of the river. It wasn't the true ocean, but the salt water had mingled with the river water enough to ease the pain in his heart.

"Mother?" Heba's voice called, making Yugi look to see his son, hair wrapped in a towel and dressed, watching from his window. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, nothing." Yugi stammered, embarrassed he had been caught as Heba slipped out of sight. "I'll be right up!"

Heba gasped and darted to get his shoes, jewelry, and crown all in place. Just as he finished, Heba spotted his bag of shells sitting in plain sight. As his door opened, Heba kicked the bag under the bed.

"I'm ready." Heba smiled to his mom and Tamim who had followed him, as his crown slip over his eyes and his wet hair flopped down.

"Here." Yugi chuckled and picked up a brush. "Let me help."

Heba sighed and sat down in a chair, slightly embarrassed he still needed help with his hair and other small things. He was sixteen.

"So," Atemu smiled from the still open door, "we're having a bad hair day."

"If we were," Yugi teased back, "you wouldn't be helping, would you?"

"Well I'm just here to let you know there are a lot of people downstairs..." Atemu gave his reason.

"Oh, we'll be right down." Yugi growled slightly as he sent Tamim to push his husband away. "Give us two minutes."

"Right, two..." Atemu chuckled to himself as he closed the door. "Now where have I heard _that_ before?"

Yugi gently ran the brush threw his son's hair. It was thick like his and Atemu's. Heba however, didn't appreciate the gesture.

"Mom," Heba sighed as his shoulders slumped, "just put down the brush. It's hopeless."

"You look wonderful." Yugi replied as he used his own magic to finish drying Heba's hair, making it naturally defy gravity.

"Do I have to do this?" Heba asked. "Everybody thinks I'm weird."

"Oh, honey," Yugi sighed and attempted to comfort his son. "Everyone has trouble fitting in at your age. I know I did. I was a regular fish out of water."

"You? No way." Heba stood up and went to his balcony, which from this height he could watch the ocean. "I'm just so afraid I'm gonna make a total fool of myself."

"Heba, this isn't just about the party... is it?" Yugi asked as he came outside to. "Is there something you want to talk about? You know you can always tell me anything."

"Well, okay." Heba conceded. "I mean, it's kind of crazy and sort of impossible. Now, don't freak, but what I dream about more than anything in the whole world-"

"How's it coming?" Atemu interrupted. "Oh, Heba, is that you? You look great."

"He's right." Yugi giggled slightly as Heba rolled his eyes. "Now, we'll talk later. You're going to have a wonderful time tonight. Trust me."

* * *

Music flared as the guest all twirled around with each other. Slowly, the song came to an end, and everyone applauded. Atemu and Yugi both sat on their thrones, the six high priest on either side of them.

"May I present his Royal Highness..." Mahad called as the song finished, "Prince Heba."

A pair of guards opened the doors to allow Heba entrance. Heba entered to applause and smiled slightly as he saw Kisara standing next to her parents, Lord Bakura and Lord Ryou.

"Yeah." Heba mumbled to himself as he stepped further into the room. "Mom's right. I can do this."

But doubt settled into his heart as he saw the gossipers from earlier that evening. That thought he and Kisara were odd. He pushed that thought aside as he bowed politely to the crowd.

"Heba?" Heba glanced down to see his younger sister Haniya. "Can we dance?"

"Sure." Heba grinned as he and his eleven year old sister began to dance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Heba saw Haniya's twin brother, Aamir, ask Kisara to dance with him as well. All in all, everything went smoothly until Heba's Ka, Dark Paladin, thought a guest was trying to hurt him and therefore attempted to remove the problem.

The laughter rang in his ears loudly, to the point where Heba just could take it anymore. He fled to his room, where he shed his party garments and jewelry before he cried his heart out on his bed. Reaching to his shell bag, Heba picked up the last one he found and cried some more.

"Oh Heba." Yugi sighed as he entered his son's room and hugged him. "I'm so sorry."

"What's wrong with me?" Heba cried.

"Nothing's wrong with you." Yugi replied, but that made Heba squirm out of his grip.

"Mom, I'm the prince of disaster." Heba sobbed into his pillow.

"Being a teenager is hard," Yugi soothed. "All kids your age feel awkward. And, um..."

"Heba?" Heba read. He had cleaned the grim off the shell to discover his name was engraved on it. "What is this? My name's on here."

As Heba opened it, Yugi gasped. It was the locket his grandfather had given his son 16 years ago. How had he gotten it?

"That song. Where have I heard it?" Heba questioned as he watched the picture of merpeople swimming around an underwater city. "It's Atlantica. With merpeople and everything. Mother, you always said it was just an old fish tale."

"Where did you get this?" Yugi asked as he closed the locket and took it into his hand.

"I..." Heba paused briefly, uncomfortable. "I found it."

"You went over the wall didn't you?" Yugi demanded. It was the only way Heba could have it.

"Actually, I went under it." Heba admitted. "I hate that stupid wall."

"Heba you know you're not allowed in the sea." Yugi gasped out, not believing what he was hearing.

"But why?" Heba demanded as he stood up. "And why does that necklace have my name on it?"

"Heba, listen to me." Yugi breathed in and out heavily, trying to control his anger.

"You're hiding something from me." Heba realized as dots began to connect in his mind.

"You deliberately disobeyed me!" Yugi practically shouted. "I never want you going out there again! Do you hear me? It's dangerous in the sea!"

"How would you know?" Heba shouted back as tears came to his eyes. "You've never even been in it!"

Crying, Heba grabbed the locket and ran out the door as his father came in.

"Oh, no." Yugi sat down on the bed, his face in his hands.

"Yugi," Atemu sat next to his husband, "we knew this day would come."

"You're right Atemu." Yugi said. "It's time Heba and Kisara were trusted with the truth."

* * *

"Heba, where do you think you're going?" Kisara gasped as she ran to catch up with the angry prince.

They were outside, and on the outer side of the wall, getting close to some docks on the edge of the seaside.

"I've gotta figure this out Kisara." Heba said as he hopped into a boat and looked at the locket he was now wearing around his neck. "This necklace means something. And if no one's gonna tell me… I'm gonna find out myself."

"Heba, please! Don't do this!" Kisara cried out as she lunged for the boat.

Heba growled at the action and had Dark Paladin take Kisara 50 yards back from the shoreline so he could keep going. He wasn't going to be stopped now. He had to know. Kisara however, groaned in frustration and turned to run back to the palace as fast as she could.

But Anzu, watching threw her magic picture, cackled in delight.

"Oh, this is delicious. This is divine!"

"Let's go, flatsos." Keith grinned as himself, Rex, and Weevil exited the ice cave to retrieve the prince.

"Hurry, Bandit Keith." Anzu called. "There's a boy out there who needs our help."

* * *

"Don't panic." Kisara muttered to herself as she raced threw the secret tunnel systems that she and Heba would use sometimes to sneak in and out of the palace. "Just tell everyone that Heba has run away in a rowboat. Piece of cake."

"Heba!" Yugi called out, practically making Kisara loose it.

"Heba's gone!" Kisara shouted. "I tried to stop him but he went out to sea in a rowboat!"

"Where could he be going?" Yugi asked as Atemu wrapped his arm's around his waist.

"To Anzu's." Bandit Keith answered the question, except no one could hear him out at sea except for Heba.

"And she can tell me what this locket means," Heba asked, starting to get excited, "why it has my name on it?"

"Oh, sure, kid." Keith chuckled as he played the teen into the trap. "Anzu's the best. She'll help ya."

"Okay, let's go." Heba agreed after a second of thought.

Two stingrays grabbed the ropes with their tails and began to pull the boat. The aquatic creatures chuckled in a way that made Heba's skin crawl. Heba glanced back in the direction of Egypt, before looking down to the locket, and then to straight ahead of him.

He had to know.

* * *

**Alverna:** End chapter. I know, it's a semi-cliffhanger.

**Seto:** Now go work on 'The Sphinx King 2'!

**Alverna: **Aye, aye Captian Prick. -runs to her computer and starts typing-

**Joey:** Why didn't I think of that?

**Mokuba:** Who knows. Please review and let us know how much you love/hate this story.

**Alverna:** Mokuba!

**Mokuba:** Constructive critisism is helpful.

**Alverna:** True. Oh! And I need the readers help. In the near future, Heba will get some travel companions, and I have no clue who they should be, (Tip and Dash for those who have seen the movie). I was thinking Mako Tsunami and Esperoba, but I would like your imput.

And please stick to original Yugioh character. I have not seen any GX, 5D, or the lastest on that starts with a Z.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alverna:** Here's chapter 4.

**Seto:** About time.

**Alverna:** What are you talking about?

**Joey:** He's just sore that he hasn't gotten much screen time.

**Seto:** Am not!

**Joey: **Are to!

**Seto:** Am not!

**Joey and Mokuba:** Are too!

**Seto:** Whatever.

**Alverna:** Boys! Someone do the disclaimer.

**Mokuba:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Merman 2.

**Alverna:** And kudos to InuYoiushi and Dazed Ryou. I know to have as Tip and Dash now.

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Heba stirred and wondered how he had managed to fall asleep semi-sitting. As a cold wind blew past, he became instantly alert and sat up. He was surrounded by fog and a bunch of white that he knew from stories was called ice.

What in Ra's name was he doing here? Oh yeah. Someone called Anzu was supposed to be able to answer his questions about the locket.

Heba pulled his blanket around him tighter as the two sting rays pulled the boat into an ice cave. He wasn't used to such cold weather. When the area around him started to lighten up, the small shark he had met started talking again.

"Angel face," Heba growled and glared at Keith who ignored him, "meet the one and only… Anzu."

A giant sea shell chaired turned around to reveal a woman who seemed to be 3/4th octopus. At least to her upper chest anyway. She had shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes that were warm and welcoming, unlike High Priest/Uncle Seto's.

"Oh, welcome, my precious." Anzu greeted and helped Heba out of the boat. "Don't be shy. Come in. Come in out of the cold. Sit and put your feet up."

"Thank you." Heba said as he made himself as comfortable as he possible could in the cold place.

"Are you hungry?" Anzu asked as she pulled up a plate of odd seafood concoctions. "Afraid all I have is a cold plate. Smelt-cicle? Kelp chip? Hush guppy?"

"Uh, no, thank you." Heba cringed away from the slightly moving food and decided to get straight to the point of why he was their as Anzu put the food away. "I was hoping you could tell me about this pendant… why it has my name on it. My mother wouldn't tell me. He just doesn't understand."

"Oh, you're not the only one with a mother who doesn't understand you." Anzu responded as she gently ran a hand threw the teens hair. "Believe me; I know just how you feel. Young one, did you ever consider that it has your name on it, because it has your destiny in it?"

Anzu clicked the locket open, making the song play and the picture reappear.

"Oh, deep down," Anzu kept talking, luring Heba in more, "you know you weren't meant to be a lowly human. What you are is something… far more enchanting."

"A merman?" Heba gasped before residing to the facts. "But it's not possible."

"Darling, anything's possible." Anzu giggled.

"You can turn me into a merman?" Heba asked, scarcely believing that his dream of being one with the ocean could come true.

"Piece of fish cake, honey." Anzu replied as she clicked the locket closed and placed it around Heba's neck again.

"Lots of luck." Bandit Keith grumbled to himself.

If Anzu heard him, she didn't show any signs as she rummaged around on one of her shelves. With a small cry of triumph, she pulled a vial out from back and blew the dust off, revealing the face of her old master.

"Pegasus's magic?" Keith gasped before growling. "Where'd you get that?"

"I've been saving it for a special occasion." Anzu practically snapped at the shark before returning to Heba. "One drop of this and, bada-bing, bada-boom! You're in fin city! Whee!"

"Really?" Heba asked, not containing the excitement in his voice.

"Come child." Anzu said taking Heba's foot in her hand. "Your destiny awaits you."

Anzu poured the potion onto Heba's foot, and magic began to swirl around the boy, lifting him into the air. Anzu laughed as Heba's legs intertwined together and became a medium orchid colored tail.

"I don't believe it!" Heba gasped after the magic set him one the ground and he grabbed his tail fins. "I'm a merman."

"Say it loud, say it proud!" Anzu cackled.

Heba jumped into the water and found it wasn't cold. He swam and splashed around, not making Bandit Keith very happy, but he didn't notice.

"I'm a merman!" Heba shouted as he arched like a leaping dolphin threw the air, splashed back down into the water, and swam out of the cave, laughing.

"You had this all along." Keith yelled after Heba was out of earshot. "You could have changed me back. Why, I ought to..."

"Keep your scales on, small fry." Anzu grinned as she slid back into the water. "I'm still reeling him in."

* * *

Kisara pinched herself. Yep, she was awake. It was just hard to believe that her best friend's mother, and her mother, had once been mermen and left the sea life to be with the ones they loved.

But here she was, standing on a ship on the other side of the wall with her parents, Pharaoh Atemu, Queen Yugi, and the rest of the royal court, the twins in the palace. Off the side of the ship was an elderly merman who was Yugi's grandfather.

"Grandpa I'm so worried." Yugi told his relative.

"Everything is going to be all right, Yugi." King Solomon replied. "We have search parties scouring the ocean. I'm going to join them now myself."

"Yugi," Atemu turned his husband to face him, "maybe you should go with him."

"But, Atemu…" Yugi protested.

"I need to stay here and lead the search on land." Atemu reasoned. "But you know these waters… and you know our son. You have to go."

"It may be dangerous." Solomon put in.

"Atemu's right, Grandpa." Yugi sighed. "I should have known I couldn't keep Heba from the sea. It's a part of him. And a part of me. I have to go."

"I'm coming with." Ryou said as he stood next to his friend. "And if Kisara wants to come it's alright with me."

"You're kidding." Kisara gasped.

"No, I'm not." Ryou chuckled lightly at his daughter's expression.

"Bring him home." Atemu whispered in Yugi's ear as the two embraced.

Yugi nodded and took off his heavy outer robes until he was wearing a basic shendyt. Taking a deep breath, he dove off the edged of the ship, Ryou following closely.

"Do I have to do that?" Kisara asked.

"No." Bakura replied. "We'll lower you down with a rope."

"It's all right Kisara." Ryou called from the water, where he now sported a white tail with the edges of his fins the same brown as his eyes.

"It will feel completely natural to you." Yugi added as his amethyst tail flicked back and forth in the water.

Kisara grinned and dove off the boat and King Solomon shot a bolt of magic at her. Her legs fused together and became the same blue color as her eyes with a completely white tail fin.

"Oh wow." Kisara giggled as the top part of her dress separated itself at her waist, making it a shirt. "This is a totally cool feeling."

* * *

"What a totally cool feeling!" Heba giggled as he dove in and out of the water before floating on his back and bumping into an ice float with an Arctic seal that had pups. "Oh, excuse me. I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"_Okay, get a grip Get the hang of this flipper_

_It's like slipping two feet into one big, huge slipper_

_This way is left. Which way is right?_

_Oh, now I'll be circling in circles all night_."

"Oh, so this is forward." Heba giggled again as he finally figured out how steering worked. "No problem."

"_I just can't believe I can do this and more_

_To swim in the sea like I walk on the shore_

_Out of my shell not closed up like a clam_

_Look out, sea. This is me. Here I am_."

Heba leapt threw the air with a pair of narwhal whales before dancing with a couple of sea turtles.

"_For a moment all of me_

_Is alive and at home in the sea_

_I'm swirling and twirling so graceful and grand_

_Not stubbing my toes Getting stuck in the sand_."

Heba grinned as he kept acting like a dolphin and swam around with a bunch of different colored fish that swirled around in a tornado like fashion around him.

"_For a moment life is cool_

_I'm a splash in the world's biggest pool_

_This is more than my thoughts ever thought it could be_

_For a moment, just a moment, I'd be me_."

Elsewhere, Yugi had split off from Ryou and Kisara to search by himself. He had already covered his grotto, where he had kept human items he had collected over 16 years ago, and even went to the sunken ship where he had found the Millennium Puzzle.

"_If only for one moment I had shared with you all I known._

_The sea wouldn't be a mystery. Oh, why did you have to go?_"

Heba didn't know how much misery his mom was in. He was having too much fun with the arctic seal pups and racing with a humpback whale to see how fast he could really swim with his new tail.

"_Everything's newer and brighter and bluer,_

_And truer to life than before._

_Watch me soar_.

_For a moment I can shine._

_Got a grin and a fin that works fine._

_My fingers are wrinkly and I really don't care,_

_If all of my curls have curled out of my hair_."

Heba grinned at the whale he was swimming next to who nodded and let him ride on its back as the teen ran his finger threw his hair, which was still 'gravity defying' even underwater. As the humpback breached the surface, Heba grasped his locket with a content smile.

"_For a moment I can feel,_

_All the dreams I've been dreaming are real._

_Wish my mother could hear it, the sea is my song._

_For a moment, just a moment, I belong_."

Yugi swam to the rock where he had picked petals off a sea flower to see if Atemu loved him. This time, he picked a flower and held it close as he kept looking for his son.

"_I will find you, my darling and the moment that I do,_

_I'll hold you close my little Hikari,_

_And sing the song of the sea with you_."

Heba on the other hand, was content with being alone. And being a merman. He didn't feel klutzy or like he had to be the perfect prince, son of the perfect pharaoh.

"_For a moment, just a moment, I belong."_

* * *

Heba grinned as he flipped through the water and swam to where Anzu and Bandit Keith were. Heba grabbed the tako in a hug, much to her surprise.

"Oh, thank you!" Heba gushed. "Thank you so much! This is the best thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Oh!" Anzu moaned and started to cry.

"What's the matter?" Heba asked as he pulled away.

"Oh, I knew this would happen." Anzu grieved. "One taste and you're hooked. Oh, Keith, I'm such a failure, such a..."

Heba took a few tail flicks back as Anzu blew her nose in a handkerchief.

"Oh, my precious..." Anzu started again, "there wasn't enough potion for this to be a forever spell."

"No. Please." Heba gasped. "I don't want to go back to being an ordinary boy. Isn't there some way I can stay a merman?"

"Oh, I'm afraid there's absolutely no possible way." Anzu went on 'moaning' "Well, there is one way. No. What am I thinking? It's far too dangerous."

"What?" Heba asked, desperate to stay a merman. "What's too dangerous?"

"Well, I could make the spell last longer," Anzu replied as she used her ink to make pictures, "if I had my magic trident. Oh, but it was stolen years ago," ink silhouette of an older merman, "by a deranged kleptomaniac. And there's no one to get it back for me."

"Maybe I could get it back for you." Heba gasped in realization. If he got the trident back, maybe he could stay a merman.

"You would do that for me?" Anzu asked with a 'shocked' look.

"If I did," Heba pleaded, "would you make me a merman? Forever?"

"Even longer if you like." Anzu replied with a small chuckled and pulled up a map she had carved onto ice and pointed to where Heba needed to go to. "Now, here is where the scoundrel lives."

"Atlantica?" Heba gasped again. "You mean it's not just an old fish tale? It really exists?"

"Of course it exists, dear." Anzu replied as she twisted acrobatically in the water. "Whoever told you otherwise?"

"My… mother." Heba replied with a realization. Had his mom been lying to him all these years? For no reason?

"Well I'm sure he didn't mean to be cruel and deceitful." Anzu soothed as she straightened herself again.

"Okay, I'll bring back your trident." Heba said with determination as he swam off to see if his whale friend would give him a ride. "You can count on me!"

"Be careful, dear. Enjoy those fins!" Anzu called after him before lowering her voice and chuckling evilly. "While you can."

Everything was going according to her plan.

* * *

**Alverna:** This chapter was longer than my other ones.

**Marik:** I thought this was a HebaxAtem story.

**Alverna:** It is. I just haven't gotten there yet. And remember that Atem and Atem_u_ are two different people.

**Malik:** Please review and let us know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alverna:** Next chapter out!

**Ryou:** And chapter 2 of 'The Sphinx King 2' will be out when?

**Alverna:** Hopefully before next Friday.

**Bakura:** Good. I haven't been mentioned at all in this story.

**Marik:** You were in the first chapter.

**Malik:** He's right. And Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy.

**Alverna:** Thanks again to Dazed Ryo and InuYoiushi. I'm dedicating this chapter to you two.

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

"Hmm." Heba hummed as he studied his ice map. "Let's see. South to Two Circles Pass... then, uh, north to... No, no, um, east... to, uh, hmm..."

Heba's whale friend had been more than happy to give him a ride, and they were now passing over a bed of seaweed, which tickled the whale's underside. Unfortunately, this made him sneeze, sending Heba off onto and ice floe and shattering his map.

"My map." Heba gasped as he picked up one of the pieces. "It's ruined. Now how am I going to find my way to Atlantica?"

"Help! Someone, please!" Heba turned his head to see a mermaid hanging onto something over the edge of a cliff. "Help! Oh! Oh, hold on, sweetie! We'll save you!"

"Help!" the child, a young mergirl called as the shark continued to circle the small sheet of ice she was on. "Mama! Hurry!"

"I can't reach her!" a merman called as he dangled from his partner's grasp, who was being held by the mother.

"Oh! Oh! Somebody help us!" the mother called again.

Two other splashes directed Heba's attention to two other merman. One had brown hair that spiked in a point on the front and a off-silver colored tail with brown streaks that began at his knees. His companion had black hair that was held by a red bandana, green eyes, and a tail that was the same green color as his eyes.

The two mermen were Yami, brown hair and brown eyes, and Hikari, black hair and green eyes.

"Mightier than a hurricane!" the brown haired one was saying as himself and his Hikari splashed out of the water and onto the ice. "Braver than a killer whale! Faster than a moray eel! It's the fearless adventurers..."

"Slash-explorers." green eyes added.

"Titanic Tristan and his trusty sidekick Dashing Duke!" the brown haired one, Tristan, gestured to himself and his green eyed Hikari, Duke.

"Oh, no." the merman one the bottom of the chain groaned.

"Not them." the one above him agreed.

"This is it, Duke." Tristan sighed as Duke started down the line. "Redemption."

"Oh, please not those two." the one on the bottom groaned as Tristan started down.

"We're finally gonna be heroes for real." Tristan sighed as Duke got in position.

"Yeah." Duke agreed as he gripped the base of Tristan's tail. "They're not gonna laugh at us any more."

"This is too easy." Tristan chuckled and began to swing back and forth to the mergirls. "And a-one, and a-two... and a shark… Shark!"

"Shark?" Duke asked as the Tristan turned tail and began to climb, pulling him with. "Goin' up! Goin' up! Goin' up! Goin' up!"

The jerking pressure became too much for the poor mother, so she let go right before Duke and Tristan reached the top.

"Going down." Tristan groaned.

The mermen yelled as they plopped onto the edge of the ice floe, creating a see-saw effect, and sending the mergirl up to the waiting arms of her mother. The shark, however, could wait anymore and pounced on the ice floe, recreating the see-saw and sending the mermen into the underside of the cliff.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Tristan mused in a muffled voice.

But the ice cliff crack under the pressure, sending everyone on and under the cliff down. The upside, they buried the shark under all of the icy snow that they popped out of.

"Mama!" the mergirl happily exclaimed as she spotted her mom, and the two embraced.

"Another plan perfectly executed." Tristan sighed after he pulled Duke out from under the snow.

"What did you think you were doing?" the mother shouted at the pair, who cringed.

"We were just trying to be heroes." Duke mumbled feebly.

"You call abandoning my baby heroic?" the mother snapped at the two. "You two boys almost got us all killed."

"Oh, yeah, some fearless heroes." one of the merman said.

"More like zeroes!" his companion replied, making the two double over in laughter.

"Zeroes!" the first one hooted. "That's a good one!"

Duke and Tristan looked at each other and sighed as they pulled themselves across the ice and towards the water's edge.

"Go ahead." Tristan called back as they moved along. "Laugh your stinking scales off. We'll show you… someday."

Duke frustratedly kicked a small ice chunk into the water with his tail. Less than two seconds later, a merman they had never seen popped out of the water.

"Excuse me." Heba said, and the two other mermen leapt back, holding each other. "You don't have to be scared of me. I won't hurt you."

"Scared?" Tristan recovered as he pushed Duke away. "Who said anything about being scared? Don't you know an evasive maneuver when you see one?"

"Yes, actually." Heba giggled. "Hi. I'm Heba."

"This here's Tristan," the black haired merman said as he slid closer to the edge of the ice, "and I'm Duke."

"Excuse me," Tristan ground out threw clenched teeth as he pulled Duke's ponytail. "Mr. I-Spill-My-Guts-To-Total-Strangers… you just blew our cover!"

"I was just trying to be friendly!" Duke protested.

"Uh, guys?" Heba intervened. "I really need to get going... so if you could just tell me-"

"See?" Duke jabbed a finger at his friend. "Now he's gonna leave, and it's your fault."

"My fault?" Tristan stuttered. "He's-He's-He's..."

"Guys?" Heba tried to interrupt.

"He's probably allergic to bandanas." Tristan shot out as he tugged at the hair accessory on Duke's head.

"Oh, yeah?" Duke growled. "Well, maybe he doesn't like hair that looks like an arrow!"

"Guys." Heba said again as he giggled.

"Well your hair is weird to." Tristan resorted.

"And you swim funny." Duke continued.

"Guys!" Heba started to pull himself out of the water so he could separate the two.

"Oh, yeah? Well..." Tristan paused, trying to think of something. "Your hair is weird to!"

"Guys!" Heba chuckled as he separated them at arm's length on either side of him. "Do either of you know how to get to Atlantica? I don't have much time."

"Why do you want to go to Atlantica?" Duke asked as he and Tristan relaxed.

"I have to get something that was stolen from a friend." Heba replied as he slide back into the water and looked at his tail sadly. "If I don't, I'll turn back into..."

"A what?" Duke coaxed. "Turn back into a what?"

"A human." Heba whispered and shuddered at the thought.

"I knew there was something un-fishy about you." Tristan snapped as Heba looked down disappointed. "Tough break, bro. Drop us a line. Let us know how it all turns out."

"We'll take you." Duke offered as he stopped his yami from swimming off.

"You will?" Heba asked as his face lit up.

"We will?" Tristan asked in disbelief.

"He's a hikari in distress." Duke hissed. "It's our big chance."

Duke let go as Tristan surveyed Heba again. His eye's had gone wide with a whipped pet look and was nibbling on his lower lip.

"Hoo-boy, I can't believe I'm doing this so somebody stop me." Tristan sighed as he paused, waiting for protest. "All right, then, we're in. On to Atlantica!"

The new found trio of friends all dived down and swam to the ocean floor as Tristan began to sing an adventure song.

"_Taming the tides swarming the seas_

_Beware, barracudas! Drop to your knees_

_Defending our friends and sea anemones_

_As big as a whale_."

"Hey!" Duke protested as Tristan jabbed his stomach playfully.

"With a much smaller tail." Heba giggled as he tried to soothe the upset merman.

Tristan grinned and kept singing.

"_Facing the foe with our fearless flukes_

_Daring the dastards to put up their dukes_

_Great globs of gore_

_We'll storm the shore_

_And seek the unknown_."

"Then can we go home?" Duke asked as they quickly swam away from an island that had an erupting volcano on it. An explosion caused a tidal wave in which the three body-surfed, while the yami and hikari sang together.

"_Titanic Tristan and Daring Duke_

_Adventurers-slash-explorers_

_Titanic Tristan and Daring Duke _

_Adventurers-slash-explorers_

_Our gallant quest to do our best and smile for our adorers_."

Heba couldn't help but smile at the pair. They really did belong together. And their song was catchy, so he sang a line himself.

"_We'll save the day_."

The wave folded, and the three dove down to the seafloor.

"_And make a splash._

_Titanic Tristan and Daring Duke_."

A sunken ship met their eyes, and Tristan grabbed a sword and battled some crabs…

"_We'll clobber those crabs with their clammy claws_."

Duke looked around with a telescope and freaked when a small goldfish got to close the other end…

"_We'll shatter those sharks with their savage jaws_."

Tristan panted as the crabs stared to overwhelm him:

"_The battle is fierce_."

Duke clung to the mast as the ship tilted from this freak out before settling on the ocean floor again:

"_And mercifully brief_."

Heba giggled as he looked at the gold and jewels that were the ships treasures:

"_The conquering heroes return as kings of the reef_."

Duke and Tristan dress in a few jewels and toasted each other before swimming off after Heba, who had perched himself on a rock above the surface.

"_We'll dine with the best, dressed with a flair._

_Climb every mountain because it's there._

_Come on, follow me,_

_We'll make history._

_To courage, to us_."

Heba pushed Duke and Tristan threw a hole before wiggling himself out as he added:

"_The trident…_"

"_Or bust!_"

Duke finished as the three sang together and perched on a rock with an old pirate wheel.

"_Titanic Tristan and Daring Duke_

_Adventurers-slash-explorers_

_Titanic Tristan and Daring Duke_

_Adventurers-slash-explorers._"

Tristan sang the next line:

"_We'll save the day_."

Followed by Duke:

"_And make a splash_."

The three each sang their name as they splashed back in to the ocean.

"_Heba!_"

"_Tristan!_"

"_And Daring Duke!_"

Finishing their song, the three fist bumped and went at top speed to reach the destination.

"_All for three and three for one._

_Atlantica, here we come!_"

"I knew it!" Heba gasped when he saw the underwater sea kingdom for the first time. "It's real! Atlantica."

"That's right young Prince. Just a little further." Anzu chuckled as she watched with her magic and then turned to her Sting Rays. "Rex! Weevil! Go make sure that no one interferes with his return to me, hmm?"

* * *

**Alverna:** End chapter. Please let me know it you see any spelling or grammer mistakes. I don't have a beta.

**Seto:** Now get "The Sphinx King 2" and "Egyptian Nights" updated.

**Joey:** Will you chill? She has four stories she's working on and trying very hard to not start anymore until at least two of them are done.

**Alverna:** Thank you Joey. And another thing. I thought long and hard about Tristan being the yami and Duke being the hikari. And it mainly comes down to the facts that Duke is more girly looking and Tristan was in gang fights with Joey, (anime).

**Mokuba: **Please Review! We're running on the reserves reviews from "How did it come to this?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Alverna:** Chapter 6, here we go!

**Duke:** Someone's excited.

**Tristan:** You can say that again.

**Alverna:** Okay, I'm adding something I forgot last chapter. Duke and Tristan's parents were banished for stealing treasure from the royal treasury with Bandit Keith, so they've never been to the palace, only heard stories.

**Ryou:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2.

**Bakura:** Good thing. We'd be in trouble if she did.

**Alverna:** Shut up or Ryou stays in the ocean forever.

**Bakura:** I'm good.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Just a mile away from Heba, Duke, and Tristan, Yugi was with Ryou, Kisara, and King Solomon. They were looking around as they swam on the path.

"Have you heard anything, Grandpa?" Yugi asked as the two swam side by side on the palace grounds. "I've been searching everywhere, but so far there's been nothing."

"Have faith Yugi." Solomon responded as they watched Kisara zip around. "Something will turn up."

"Easier said than done." Yugi sighed as he ducked slightly to avoid getting hit by Ryou's daughter as did a couple of loops.

"This is so fun!" Kisara squealed, and then crashed into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" the brown haired merman snapped as he turned around.

"Seto?" Kisara asked in surprise, certain that the high priest had stayed to help the pharaoh search for Heba on land.

"My name is Seth." Seth said coldly.

Seth had a golden brown tail, a face and eyes that matched Seto's perfectly, and brown hair with golden streaks that also copied Seto's style.

"Well sorry." Kisara growled back.

"They are perfect for each other." Ryou sighed.

"What are you going to do?" Yugi asked.

"If she wants to stay with her Yami, I have no qualms about it." Ryou smiled sadly. "Bakura on the other hand…"

"Say no more." Yugi giggled, remembering how protective the man was of his girl.

"Seth!" A merman with a dark purple, almost black, tail with tan colored swirls, white-blond hair that was semi-spiky, and light purple colored eyes, called out.

"What Ishtar?" Seth snapped again.

"You're late." Ishtar smirked. "We're waiting for you."

"Shut up." Seth growled and threatened to punch the merman.

"Hey." Yugi caught the twos attention. "No fighting unless it's in private or in one of the training rooms."

"Who are you?" Ishtar asked in a way that reminded Yugi of Marik.

"Yugi? Ryou?"

Yugi turned to see two mermen that had just rounded a corner. One had blond hair, hazel eyes and, a dusty honey gold tail, and the other had platinum blond hair, lilac colored eyes, and a sandy colored tail that had two lilac colored stripes running down his sides.

"Joey?" Yugi gasped.

"Malik?" Ryou asked at the same time.

"Yugi!" Joey shouted and practically tackled his friend.

"Ryou!" Malik cheered as he pulled Ryou into a bear hug.

"Oh, I've missed you guys!" Yugi bubbled in happiness.

"Mom," Seth got everyone's attention. "Who are these people?"

"Remember the story I would tell you when you were younger?" Joey asked. "The one where my friends found their human Yamis and became human to stay with them?"

"Yeah..?" Seth dragged the word out.

"They're them!" Ishtar grinned as he figured it out first. "That's two I'm up on with you."

"Shut up!" Seth lunged for Ishtar again but was stopped by Malik.

"Children," Malik growled, making both look down in shame, "what have Joey and I said about fighting in the halls?"

"Sorry, mom." the two merman said in unison.

"Uh, you two." Joey sighed and then chuckled.

"Mom?" Ryou asked with a very Bakura like smirk.

"Seems like they got frisky with a certain high priest and lord before the wall got up." Yugi giggled.

"Shut up." Malik muttered angrily.

"That's pretty much it." Solomon snickered.

"Sorry to greet and run." Seth caught everyone's attention. "We've got to go. Prior engagement."

"Sure." Kisara rolled her eyes at the merteen she was finding herself attracted to.

"Zip it." Seth growled before he swam away with a laughing Ishtar.

"Those two." Malik sighed as he turned to Yugi. "We're sorry about Heba."

"I really need your help guys." Yugi replied.

Joey and Malik felt their eyes widen for a second. Aside from the time Yugi's grotto had been destroyed when his grandpa had found out he had rescued Atemu from drowning, they had never seen him look so depressed.

"Wild sea horses couldn't stop us." Joey promised.

Yugi smiled and hugged his two friends. Turning, Yugi, Ryou, Kisara, Solomon, Joey, and Malik all went back into the palace.

Five seconds too soon.

Heba, Duke, and Tristan swam past the exact same spot that his mother had been as they journeyed into the palace via one of the windows. Heba couldn't help but gawk as his pace slowed and was soon way behind Duke and Tristan.

"It's so beautiful." Heba breathed softly as he turned to a back float position, and bumped into someone.

"Whoa!" the two exclaimed as Heba turned himself back upright and the other merman turned himself around.

"Sorry, my..." Heba started before stopping.

"Sorry, my fault." the other merman said at the same time.

"Fault." Heba finished softy as he felt a blush rise to his cheeks.

The merman in front of him was drop dead gorgeous. He had tanned skin, spiky hair that looked like his mothers, and crimson eyes like his fathers. His tail was crimson colored with gold streaks that started at mid thigh and ran down to where his scales changed to fin.

'_He's a sex god_', Heba's mind supplied before he shook himself for thinking like that.

"Hello." the merman said, but all Heba could do was swallow since his mind had apparently disconnected from his tongue. "I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"

"I'm He… He…" Heba stuttered, not able to focus very well.

"He He?" the merman questioned. "I don't think that's your really name, but I'll tell you that my name is Atem."

"Heba!" Heba finally gasped out. "I'm Heba."

"Very nice to meet you Heba." Atem held out his hand for Heba to shack before pulling the blushing teen into his arms, Heba's back to his chest. "You're really cute."

"Thanks." Heba mumbled before he came back to his senses and began to struggle against the grip. "Let me go!"

"Aw." Atem sighed as he let Heba go. "But I like holding you."

"And I just met you." Heba whispered. Not trusting his voice to go any higher.

"Hey Temmy!" Ishtar swam up with the intent on tackling his friend, who expertly dodged, having years of practice. "Ow."

"Who's this?" Seth asked as he swam up.

"Hey, guys." Atem greeted as Ishtar unconnected himself from the pillar. "Meet Heba."

"Hi." Seth greeted coldly to Heba, who was staring wide eyed at the merman who looked like his uncle.

"Hey, you wanna hang out with us?" Ishtar asked as he joined the other two.

Heba found himself nodding eagerly. He defiantly wanted to stay close to Atem.

"All right, all right. Break it up. Break it up!" Tristan growled as he swam between Heba and the other three, shooing them away before dragging Heba behind him. "There's nothing to see here. Move along. Come on, Mr. Popularity. We have a previous engagement. Remember?"

Heba nodded sadly and looked back to see Atem waving.

"Maybe I'll catch you later." Atem called, prompting Heba to wave back and smile.

"This is what happens when you bring a country fish to the big city." Tristan sighed to Duke, who was waiting at the end of the hallway.

"Who do you think _they_ were?" Atem asked jealously.

"Probably his friends." Seth replied, noting Atem's attitude.

"Someone's jealous." Ishtar said in a sing-song voice.

"Damn right." Atem growled. "I know that Heba is my Hikari. I just know it."

"You can get him back later." Ishtar grinned. "Right now we have some new servants we need to terrorize."

* * *

Heba shook his head to get rid of the image of the crimson eyed merman. He had a job to do. Maybe once Anzu made him a permanent merman, he could come back and they could spend more time together.

"Wow!" Duke gasped.

Heba looked up to see that they had reached the throne room. It was more elaborately decorated, but the largest room they had seen by far. A throne was in the middle of the room.

"Nice crib." Tristan nodded as they dodged behind a pillar to avoid being spotted by servants who were setting a table covered by a large table cloth.

"Come on." Heba whispered an idea popping in his head. "Follow me."

Swimming under the table, the three peaked out from under the table cloth in time to see an elderly merman swim to the throne and sit down.

"That must be him." Heba whispered as we watched the merman take out a seashell picture frame and look at his sadly. "He looks sad. He doesn't look like a thief."

"They never do." Tristan whispered in his ear.

"Look! There it is!" Heba gasped in an exclaiming whisper as he spotted the trident in the stand next to the throne.

"A fork?" Tristan asked in disbelief. "We're risking our tails for _a fork_?"

Duke and Heba rolled their eyes as Solomon looked up to see the servants preparing the room in a party like fashion.

"We haven't time for this!" Solomon exclaimed as he got off his throne and banged his fist on the table. "I want every available merman searching! Find her! Find her!"

* * *

(**Alverna:** By 'her' he means Anzu)

* * *

Finishing with a slap to the table that turned it as he turned away, Heba hid behind a large bouquet of sea flowers while Tristan and Duke swam back under the table, which had landed on all of it's legs properly. But they were shaking so hard, Solomon noticed.

"Duke, if-if this is the end..." Tristan stuttered out in a terrified whisper. "I just want you to know, I'm sorry I said that thing about your bandana."

"Well, I'm sorry about the fish breath." Duke replied.

"Yeah." Tristan sighed and caught himself. "You didn't say anything about that."

"But I was thinking it." Duke admitted before they returned to holding each other while shaking the table.

Luckily for those two, a palace servant came in with fanfare.

"King Solomon, your grandson has returned." the servant said with a bow, and lead his king out of the room.

Seeing that no one was in sight, Heba swam out of hiding and up to the trident.

"Ooh, that was close." Duke breathed out as they checked to see if the cost was clear, and spotted Heba next to the trident and swam up to him.

Heba stared at the trident. It seemed, _familiar_ to him somehow. It didn't seem right to take it from it's place.

"Oh, sure, that's it." Duke said as he touched Heba shoulder. "Take your time. Kick back. Relax."

"Let's all just linger here and die!" Tristan finished with exasperation.

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon." King Solomon's voice came floating through the door way.

"He's coming back!" Duke gasped.

Heba knew he had no time to waste now, so he grabbed the trident and pulled. It came loose, but so did his locket.

"My necklace!" Heba exclaimed and reached for it, only to be pulled back and out a side room by Duke and Tristan.

"Don't worry, Yugi." Joey said as he swam next to his friend. "We'll find him."

Yugi sighed and closed his eyes to calm down. When he opened them, it wasn't pretty.

"Grandpa!" Yugi pointed to the empty stand. "The trident!"

"But that's not possible." Malik said as he swam up to the stand. "Nobody can remove the trident from the stand except you, sire. You or one of your descendants."

"Heba." Yugi said as he picked his son's locket off the floor. "But how could he have got here? He doesn't even know Atlantica exist."

"Anzu. If she gets her hands on my trident…" Solomon put the pieces of the puzzle together and swam to the royal guard. "Double the search parties! I want every creature in the ocean on patrol!"

"Yes, sire!" the guards responded and swam out of the room.

Yugi breathed in as shadows passed over him and his friends. Looking up, he saw two manta rays gliding away.

"Wait a minute." Yugi gasped as realization hit him. "I know those two."

Swimming after them as the sting rays left the palace, and staying out of sight, the friends never noticed four other merfolk following.

* * *

**Alverna:** End chapter. The next few chapters are going to be cliffy like. You understand if you've seen the movie. It's hard to find a good stopping point that's not tense.

**Yugi:** You're doing fine.

**Alverna:** And just to claify before anyone complains, Atemu is the pharaoh of Egypt, and Yugi's husband. Atem is an orphan merman who is Heba's Yami, or other half/soul mate.

**Atemu:** Please Review. Reviews make a happy author, which means updates will be out faster.


	7. Chapter 7

**Alverna:** Chapter 7. I hated typing this one.

**Heba:** Why?

**Alverna:** Cause I don't like what happens.

**Atem:** It's just like how she didn't want to do the stampede scene in 'The Sphinx King', but she did it anyway.

**Tristan:** Oh.

**Duke:** Alverna does not own Yiugoh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

"We did it!" Tristan cheered as he and Duke jumped over each other, before noticing Heba perched next to a rock in the water, looking at a huge wall.

"All this time..." Heba whispered as the two came up next to him. "Atlantica was never that far away from home."

"This is your home?" Duke gasped as he glimpsed the top of the palace in the distance.

"It used to be." Heba nodded.

"Whoa, what a pad!" Tristan nodded as he took it all in. "Talk about your curb appeal. And seems appeal more to me than Atlantica. But, uh, what's with the wall? I know good fences make good neighbors, but isn't that a bit much?"

"Yeah." Duke glanced over to Heba, who became still. "What you trying to keep out?"

"It wasn't built to keep something out." Heba gritted his teeth as he turned away from Egypt. "It was built to keep me in. Come on. Let's go."

Tristan and Duke looked at each other, shrugged, and started splashing around again as they went back south, eventually getting Heba to join them.

* * *

"You know kid, the three of us," Tristan said as they swam into the entrance of Anzu's ice cave, "we make a pretty good team."

"Once you're a permanent merman," Duke added as he watched Heba float on his back, gently flicking his tail to keep moving, "we'll be friends forever."

"We'll be inseparable!" Tristan kept going.

"Nothing will ever come between us." Duke finished.

At that moment, a shark fin cut Heba off from his friends. It was a small one, but it still had a strong effect.

"Shark!" Duke yelled as he and Tristan turned tail out of the cave.

"Run! Run!" Tristan shouted as he pushed Duke out in front of him, leaving Heba.

"No, wait!" Heba called as he put himself upright, but it was too late. "It's just..."

"Leaving so soon, boys?" Bandit Keith called as he surfaced, but Duke and Tristan were to far away to hear. "What can I say? When you got it, you got it. Hey! You got it!"

Heba felt a smile pull at his lips when he saw Keith's expression. Finally, he had done something right.

"Sweetheart, you're my new hero." Keith gestured with a small fin to follow him further. "Let's go. It's time for some magic."

"But..." Heba hesitated as he looked out the cave entrance. "But my friends..."

"Ha! You mean you call those two yellow-bellied sea slugs your friends?" Bandit Keith laughed at the notion, and moved to play Heba's weak point. "Come on! You want to be a merman, or what?"

Heba hesitated for a second more before turning and swimming quickly into the ice cave, ignoring Bandit Keith chanting, "We've got the power!"

* * *

Back outside, Rex and Weevil went back through another entrance, not noticing the three mermen and the mermaid following.

"So there it is." Yugi whispered before turning to push his friends away. "Swim back as fast as you can and tell my grandfather. I'll try to find Heba."

"Oh, but if that old sea witch is in there," Ryou pursed his lips together, "and then there's that mean little shark..."

"And then those manta rays come…" Joey added.

"And then she takes those creepy tentacles so suction cups stick to your face, and, and..." Malik finished with a head shake. "Uh-uh. No way are you going in there alone."

"But guys, if we all go..." Yugi whispered back, trying to reason, "who's going to tell Grandpa where Anzu's lair is?"

"What's all the whispering about?" Kisara asked as she popped up next to Ryou.

"What are you doing here?" Ryou asked as he laid a hand over his heart.

"I just want to know if you found Heba yet." Kisara pouted.

"Wait a minute." Yugi gasped. "Ryou's not going to want Kisara near any danger, so they should be the ones to go get help."

"What?" Kisara asked. "I want to help."

"And you are by going with me to get back up." Ryou replied firmly. "Now let's go. We have to alert King Solomon as well as Pharaoh Atemu."

* * *

"Oh, there you are darling; I was so worried about you." Anzu gushed as Heba swam up to her with the trident. "And look! You've brought back my trident. Clever boy."

"Give it to her! Give it to her! Give it to her!" Keith darted around Heba before one of Anzu's tentacles grabbed him and flung him back. "Hey!"

"Forgive him dear, he's got a little size issue." Anzu threw a dirty look over her shoulder at the shark before reaching for the trident again, not noticing Heba's confused look. "Now, if you'll just hand over the..."

"Heba, don't!" Yugi shouted as he swam into the room with Joey and Malik.

"Mom!" Heba gasped in surprise.

"Don't listen to her!" Yugi came close and stopped and his and his son's eyes widened.

"You're a merman?" Heba and Yugi asked in unison, not believing what they saw.

"Yugi, how nice of you to come." Anzu greeted. "And you also brought Malik and Jo-Jo with you."

"The name's Joey." Joey snarled and swam at Anzu, only to be stopped by Keith ramming into his chest.

"Grrr." Keith growled.

"'Grrr' yourself, pipsqueak." Joey growled back as he grabbed Keith by the base of his tail and held him at arms length.

"Get that thing and hit me!" Keith growled, referring to how Anzu should get the trident and change him back to normal. "One bite and he's shrimp toast!"

"Sweetheart, hand me my trident now." Anzu said in a coaxing tone to Heba, who barely even notice.

"All this time," Heba's voice cracked in sadness as Yugi looked down shamefully, "and you never told me?"

"Kept the most important secret in his whole life from his own son." Anzu scolded as he placed her hands on Heba's shoulders.

"Please, give it to me, Heba." Yugi asked as he held out his hand.

"No, hand it to me." Anzu fought back. "It's for your own good."

"She's lying!" Yugi protested.

"I've given you what you've always wanted." Anzu replied. "He's the one who lied to you all these years."

"I was trying to protect you." Yugi exclaimed.

"By fencing me in?" Heba found his tongue again and voiced how hurt he was. "You knew how much I loved the sea. Why did you keep the truth from me?"

"Heba, listen to me." Yugi cupped Heba's chin in his hand and tried to pull him close. "If there was one thing in my life that I could do over, I..."

"Too late, Mom." Heba sneered as he wretched out of Yugi's grasp and went back next to Anzu.

"Heba, no!" Yugi shouted and tried to stop his son.

But it was too late. Heba gave Anzu the trident, and shots of underwater lightning began to come out of the trident. Heba watched in horror as he realized that what he had done was a terrible thing.

"All the power of the seven seas are at my command!" Anzu cackled.

"Hello! Can we get with the program?" Keith called from the place where Joey had thrown him. "It's still a small world down here!"

Still laughing Anzu flung out her tentacles, grabbing Joey, Malik, and Yugi. With two strong flicks, she tossed Joey and Malik into a shallow cavern, sealing off the entrance with ice.

"Mom!" Heba cried out as he tried to follow, but found the sharp end of the trident pointed at this chest.

"Your mommy was only trying to protect you from moi!" Anzu sneered. "What he did, he did out of... love."

Yugi growled and bit Anzu's hand as she mashed his face around, and got a smack upside the head in return.

"Little Heba's been a very naughty boy..." Anzu turned her attention back to the teen, "stealing from his own grandfather."

"My... my grandfather?" Heba gasped in disbelief.

"King Solomon, ruler of Atlantica, commander in chief of all of the oceans!" Anzu explained as her tentacles wrapped around Yugi even more, cutting of his speech and movement of arms. "Or at least he was, until a certain little thief came along."

"You tricked me." Heba exclaimed as he tried to pull the tentacles of his mother, but it was fruitless to even try.

"You've got no one to blame but yourself." Anzu snapped back, stilling Heba's movements as he felt the familiar feeling of never belonging well up. "Tell me Heba, is being a merman everything you dreamed? Was it worth it?"

'_No_.' Heba thought to himself as his eyes closed. '_It's not worth it_.'

Heba gasped as Anzu wrapped a tentacle around him, and threw him into another shallow cavern opposite of the one Joey and Malik were in. His head hit the ice in the back, and his vision started to blur.

"No!" Atem burst from where he had been frozen at the entrance, coming in just in time to see Anzu throw Heba, and followed,

Yep, Atem had seen Yugi, Joey, Malik, and Ryou leaving, and followed by Kisara. Curious, himself, Seth, and Ishtar swam after them. But when they got here, a couple of scared mermen pulled more at Seth and Ishtar's curiosity than his, so they followed the mermen while he went inside.

Gently cradling his Hikari in his arms, Atem glared as Anzu covered the entrance with ice, stopping so her face was visible as he came up close.

"Oh, and by the way..." Anzu chuckled evilly as she slowly finished sealing off the entrance, "when Heba's more aware, let him know that his time as a merman has just about expired. Catch you later. I've got bigger fish to fry!"

Anzu swam away, taking Yugi with here as she prepared to hatch the plan she had been preparing for the past 16 years.

"Bigger fish!" Bandit Keith exclaimed as he followed. "Now, there's an idea!"

"Ow." Heba moaned as he held his head.

"Are you alright Heba?" Atem asked as he held the younger close.

"No." Heba began to cry and launched himself out of Atem's arms, banging into the ice. "No I'm not. I have to get out of here."

"Calm down Heba." Atem tried to sooth, but it wasn't working.

"You don't understand Atem!" Heba cried out. "That was my mom she took with her!"

"Oh man." Atem ran his had through his hair and grabbed Heba by the shoulders. "You need to calm down."

"I can't!" Heba sobbed, wretched free, and rammed into the ice again. "I have to keep trying. I have to save my mom."

Atem pulled Heba away from the ice, and watched as the crack he had made fixed itself.

"She enchanted the ice." Atem growled. "It doesn't matter how much we bang into it, it will just keep repairing itself."

"No." Heba moaned and collapsed in Atem's arms.

"This may be bad timing," Atem sighed as he gently ran his hand threw Heba's thick hair, "but Anzu said that your 'time as a merman has just about expired.' What did she mean?"

Not to much surprise, Heba began to cry even more.

"Oh, Atem." Heba whispered, chocking. "I've ruined everything."

* * *

**Alverna:** At least it's over. You can hate me in your reviews if you want to.

**Ryou:** She's taking this hard.

**Kisara:** No surprise there. She already said the didn't like doing this chapter.

**Seth:** When do we come back in?

**Ishtar:** Next chapter. -holds the author's notes on this story-

**Alverna:** Give me those! -gets the notes back- You're as bad as you're father.

**Bakura:** Please review and hate the writer as much as you want.

**Ryou:** BAKURA! He means let us know how much you liked this chapter despite it's contents.


	8. Chapter 8

**Alverna:** Here's chapter 8.

**Yugi:** And it's dedicated to SuperSpeed, who seems to be reading the author's mind.

**Atemu:** How so?

**Alverna:** You'll find out at the end of the chapter.

**Yugi and Atemu:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Outside the cave, Duke and Tristan sat back to back on a piece of ice.

"We're guppies, man." Tristan sighed. "Jellyfish."

"The great Tristan and Duke." Duke added. "Cowards-slash-losers."

"Well, at least we're alive." Tristan mumbled half-heartedly.

"Yeah, if you want to call this living." Duke shot back, depressed.

Then a light blub flashed above Tristan's head, and he pulled himself away from Duke, making his Hikari look at him.

"Okay, on the one hand we can live a long, healthy life," Tristan held up a hand as he tried to illustrate his points, "albeit as disgusting, pathetic, cowardly... uh…"

"Sea slugs?"

"That's good. Good. Cowardly sea slugs." Tristan nodded before taking a brave pose. "On the other hand, we could gather our courage, storm the fortress, and be heroes."

"Yeah, until they hack us up into fish bait." Duke rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"You're right." Tristan sighed as he deflated.

Strong flashes of light came from the cave entrance, catching the attention of the two mermen. As the flashes continued, two other mermen, Seth and Ishtar, popped out of the water close to them, but they didn't notice.

"Heba's in there." Duke gasped at the light.

"You two know Heba?" Ishtar asked, getting their attention. "Wait, dumb question. You were with him in Atlantica."

"Never mind that." Duke began to gasp for breath. "Heba could be in big trouble. He may really need our help!"

"So what's it gonna be?" Tristan asked as he took Duke's hand. "A lifetime as worms… or two minutes as heroes?"

Another flash made them cringe, but with one shared look, they nodded, and slipped back into the water.

Less than two seconds later, Anzu used the magic of the trident to make an ice throne for her as she rose up above the water, still holing Yugi as her captive.

"All hail Queen Anzu!"

"I'm hailing! I'm hailing!" Keith called as he jumped on the surface of the water, slamming his dorsal fin into an ice overhang.

"Hold on, Yugi!" Ryou called as he and Kisara came splashing ahead of a ship that held the Egyptian crew. "The cavalry is coming!"

"Oh!" Dartz gasped from his place at the wheel and pointed up at Anzu.

"Yugi!" Atemu shouted when he saw his husband trapped in Anzu's tentacles.

"Ah, Pharaoh Atemu." Anzu greeted. "Come to join the party? We're having a blast!"

With those words, and ignoring a squirming Yugi in her grip, Anzu blasted a line threw the top of an iceberg, making it fall on to of the ship.

As the crew abandoned the ship, Dartz, Alister, Valon, Raphael, and all of the sacred court aside from Seto, ended up on one piece of ice. Seto, Bakura, Marik, and Atemu, who held onto Thema's son Tamim, ended up on another side.

"Oh, how dear Pegasus would have adored this." Anzu chuckled as the ship shank.

"Anzu!" King Solomon thundered as he, Rebecca, Leon, and many merfolk soldiers came racing up around the ice.

"King Solomon?" Anzu laughed in disbelief. "Oh, please! Is that the best you can do?"

"Release my grandson, surrender my great-grandson." Solomon demanded. "And I shall spare you."

"Ooh! What you gonna do?" Anzu asked in mock horror. "Throw some crabs at me?"

"Face it, Solomon, you're all washed up!" Keith laughed, and then began to swim away. "Uh-oh!"

"I'm gonna be teaching you some manners!" Rebecca snapped as she chased after the shrunken shark.

"Now look at me, I'm bait!" Keith moaned before a jolt of energy from the trident hit him, changing him back to full size, and making the merfolk flew back a few feet. "Oh, yeah! Look out!"

"Where's Heba?" Atemu demanded to Anzu as he activated his Dia Dalk "What have you done with my son?"

"Oh, you want to join your child?" Anzu drawled as Rex and Weevil lightly rapped their tails around Atemu's legs. "Well, I think that can be arranged."

"Ah!" Atemu cried out as Rex and Weevil pulled down, bringing him threw the thin layer of ice and into the water.

"Atemu!" Yugi shouted as he got Anzu's tentacles of his mouth.

Kisara and Ryou both quickly dove under to catch up with the Pharaoh.

Anzu smiled at her work, but it quickly changed to a frown as Kuriboh began to circle around Anzu's head, annoying her.

Thankfully, it worked as a good enough distraction for Yugi, lasted long enough for him to get the rest of the way out of Anzu's tentacles, and dive back into the water. Kuriboh went back to rest next to Tamim afterwards.

Reaching Atemu, Yugi found that Kisara and Ryou were already pulling against Rex and Weevil, but they weren't able to get him out of the water. With a growl, Yugi grabbed a large chunk of ice, knocked the string rays out, and pulled Atemu back to the surface.

* * *

Slipping past the commotion, Duke, Tristan, Ishtar, and Seth swam back inside Anzu's underwater caves. A large shadow came up behind them, blocked the rest of the sun, chuckling.

"Going somewhere, boys?" Bandit Keith asked as he gave a toothy grin.

"Um, we're just looking for the little merboy's room." Tristan said weakly.

"Really?" Keith asked as he grinned bigger.

"Well, it's been nice knowing ya." Duke sighed to Ishtar and Seth, and then got a brave face as he jumped on to Keith's back screaming.

"Now, that is one brave hikari." Seth stated, jaw dropped.

"No fair!" Ishtar shouted and jumped on as well, just in time for Keith to start jumping around in an attempt to throw the teens off.

"We'll hold him!" Duke shouted as he held on. "You two go find Heba! Hurry!"

As Seth and Tristan swam into the cave as fast as they could, the sun set.

* * *

Back inside the ice cave Heba and Atem were sealed in, the two examined the ice wall again. Atem had not judged Heba on what had happened, and was trying to figure out how to get his hikari back to the surface before time ran out.

"Ow!" Heba shouted and clutched his sides.

"Heba!" Atem quickly swam to his side and held him close. "Are you okay?"

"What's... what's happening?" Heba gasped, watching as trials of air bubbles began to escape his mouth.

Magic swirled around Heba's medium orchid colored tail, and changed back into legs with only a shendyt covering his upper legs.

"Oh, no!" Heba gasped, realizing they had run out of time.

"Hold your breath." Atem cried out as he raised his hands to Heba's nose and mouth, making sure he couldn't exhale anymore, and began to ram the ice wall in quick session, hoping to make a break. "Hold on, Heba! I'm gonna get you out of here if it's the last thing I do!"

Heba nodded and watched, but Atem wasn't quick enough to break threw the ice. Feeling cold and light headed, Heba barley had enough energy to touch Atem's arm as he began to pass out from the lack of oxygen.

"Don't give up Heba." Atem encouraged, but he knew that Heba couldn't contain the air he had in his lungs any longer and could only watch helplessly.

Then a memory came to his mind.

_Flashback_

"_When Prince Yugi was 16, he saved his Yami, Prince Atemu from drowning." Rebecca was saying. "Remember, humans can't breathe underwater. They need air to survive."_

"_So what should we do if we find a drowning human?" Atem asked his teacher, earning groans from Seth and Ishtar._

"_I'm glad you asked." Rebecca smiled. "You can give them some of your own air by putting your mouth to theirs and breathing for them."_

"_You mean kiss them?" Ishtar asked in disgust. _

"_No!" Rebecca shouted. "Kissing is for people who love each other. Mouth to mouth is used to give humans air they need until they can reach the surface and breathe on their own."_

"_Okay." Atem nodded as he put the talk to memory._

_End Flashback_

'_It's worth a shot_.' Atem thought taking, a deep breath, and placed his lips over Heba's.

Heba began to squirm as he felt Atem's lips on his, but Atem used his arms to hold Heba in place as he used his tongue to pry open his hikari's mouth. As Heba's vision began to grow sharper, it hit him.

_Atem was breathing for him._

Lying limply in Atem's arms, Heba just let things happen. That is, until he saw a large dark shadow rapidly approaching the ice wall.

Yanking Atem down, they watched as Bandit Keith crashed threw the wall and into the back of the shallow cavern, knocking the tiger shark out.

"Another plan perfectly executed." Duke grinned from the entrance.

"Thank goodness." Atem gasped as he gather Heba in his arms and shot out the hole. "Ishtar, Seth, your parents are behind that ice wall. I need to get Heba back to the surface."

"Okay." Ishtar grinned as he grabbed Keith, who had changed back to his mershark from because of being unconscious, swung him around like one would a sling shot, and threw him into the ice wall, freeing Malik and Joey.

"Now back to the surface." Seth said as they followed Atem, Heba, Duke, and Tristan.

* * *

**Alverna:** SuperSpeed, you guess that I was going to have a 'Kiss of Life' scene, which is why the chapter is dedicated to you.

**Bakura:** Yuck!

**Marik:** I wouldn't complain if my Hikari got to do that to me.

**Bakura: **Now that you mention it...

-Bakura and Marik leave-

**Ryou: **Oh great. They got another crazy idea.

**Malik:** Please review while we rescue our idiot yamis from the swimming pool.


	9. Chapter 9

**Alverna:** Here's Chapter 9!

**Bakura:** Do I get more screen time?

**Alverna:** You're one of the main characters in 'The Sphinx King 2'. No, not this chapter.

**Ryou:** There's another one?

**Alverna:** Oops. But yes, there is another chapter, and Bakura and Seto will get their long awaited screen time for this story.

**Kisara:** Alverna does not own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

Leaping out of the water, Atem turned so he landed back first on the ice as Heba spilled out of his arms. Looking around, they saw Seth, Ishtar, Joey, Malik, Duke, and Tristan jump out onto the ice next to them, while Yugi wrapped a cloak around the unconscious Atemu to help him keep warm.

"Fools!" Anzu shouted as lightning flashed and ice spear pillars began to rise out of the water. "I have the trident now. And all the creatures of the sea are in my power!"

Waving the trident around, Anzu raised an ice wall to block off the Egyptian soldiers before she began to shoot blots of energy at the merfolk.

"I'm the queen of the sea..." Anzu called down as one merman after the other was forced to bow, "and you will bow down before me!"

"Oh, this can't be good for the lower back!" Tristan grunted as he was forced into a bowing position.

"Pathetic fools!" Anzu snarled as she forced Duke, and then Yugi, to bow. "Watch and see how utterly powerful I can be!"

"Mom!" Heba gasped in horror, knowing he could do nothing to help is parents, and pushed Atem back into the water to help him avoid Anzu's bolts of energy.

"The end begins for all of you with fins!" Anzu cackled.

Heba glanced down at his feet. He didn't have fins anymore. He wasn't of the sea and was the only human close enough to get to Anzu before she zapped all of the merfolk.

Running, Heba began to leap from ice spear to ice spear, getting closer and higher to Anzu. The only comfort he had was that Atem was below him, ready to catch him if he fell. In less than 10 seconds Heba had scaled the ice to about five feet below Anzu.

"That's it, Solomon."Anzu laughed as she pointed the trident at the older king. "Bow down! Bow down before me!"

"No, your Majesty!" Joey gasped from where he was next to the king. "You mustn't!"

"I'm sorry, Joseph." Solomon grunted as the magic overcame him and he fell face first into the ocean. "I have no choice."

"Oh! Wishes do come true." Anzu sighed happily before shouting into the sky. "See that, Ma? See this, Pegasus? Who's your favorite now?"

'_Just a little closer._' Heba thought as he ducked under Anzu's dangling tentacles and began to pull himself up to Anzu's level with one of the icicles.

"It's over, Solomon!" Anzu laughed, not noticing Heba climb up behind her. "I sentence you to oblivion!"

Running forward, Heba lunged for the trident, knocking it out of Anzu's hands as he fell back onto the ice. The spell Anzu placed on the merfolk canceled out since Anzu was no longer holding it.

"You!" Anzu snarled slightly as he moved closer, forcing Heba back towards the edge of her ice pillar. "Just what do you think you're going to do with that?"

"Stay back!" Heba shouted as he pointed the non pointy end towards Anzu while thinking, '_Please let this work._'

"Wrong end, sweetheart." Anzu cackled as she pushed the end away from her.

Grabbing Heba's ankle with one of her tentacles, Anzu attempted to grab the trident with another, but ended up finding out what a piece of shish-kabob felt like as Heba stabbed the sharp end of the trident onto her tender appendage.

"YEOWCH!" Anzu screamed as she grabbed her abused limb.

"Great-Grandfather?" Heba turned to look over the ocean, quickly spotting the elderly merman, and threw the trident towards him. "I think this belongs to you."

"No!" Anzu shouted as she pushed Heba off the ice pillar, reaching for the trident.

"AAAHHHH!" Heba screamed as he fell towards the ice.

Three seconds before impact, Atem jumped out of the water and caught his Hikari, who had passed out from sheer exhaustion. The trident landed firmly in the hand of King Solomon, who had never glared so hard at someone in his whole life.

"Never again will you or yours threaten my family!" Solomon thundered as Anzu attempted so shield herself with her tentacles against a blast of energy from the trident. "There will be no escape for you... ever!"

"Mommy!" Anzu cried out as the energy form a solid block of ice, encasing her.

With Anzu frozen, her entice ice kingdom began to collapse, sending large chunks raining down.

Atem was worried on how he was going to get Heba to safety with the ice collapsing all around them. This question was answered by Duke and Tristan, who pushed the piece of ice the two were on to safety.

At last the female tako, her mershark creation, and two sting rays, sank to the bottom of the ocean, never to be heard from again.

* * *

**Atem:** That was short.

**Heba: **And not much detail.

**Alverna:** I'm writing this story with a transcript! Any details, aside from the character words, I have to come up with myself!

**Yugi:** Why did you leave it there?

**Alverna:** Because I plan on having a whole lot of info next chapter.

**Atemu:** Please review while we try to figure out what this crazy writer is up to. She's typed this whole thing up in less than a half hour and is updating at two in the morning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Alverna:** And here's chapter 10, the last chapter!

**Bakura: **Already!

**Ryou:** Yep.

**Alverna:** I don't own Yugioh or The Little Mermaid 2. Enjoy!

* * *

Since people seem to be getting mixed up, I'm going to clarify this once and for all.

Atem, A-T-E-M, is an orphan merman who lives in Atlantica, and is Heba's yami, (soul mate).

Atemu, A-T-E-M-_**U**_, is the pharaoh of Egypt, human, and Yugi's yami, (soul mate).

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Heba stirred to the feel of warmth and someone carrying him while walking. Opening his eyes, he was met with the familiar crimson eyes of his father.

It was easy to tell his father and Atem apart. Despite looking the same, Atem's crimson eyes always made his heart skip a beat.

"Dad?" Heba whispered as he tried to clear his head, noticing he was now covered in fur lined clothing instead of just his shendyt.

"Oh, Heba," Atemu smiled as he held his son close, walking over and kneeling next to Yugi. "I was so afraid we'd lost you."

"I'm sorry, Mother." Heba whispered in a broken sob as Yugi's arms wrapped around him and held him close.

"No, Heba." Yugi shook his head. "We're sorry. We should have told you the truth."

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone." Heba cried softly "I just hoped I'd be a better merman than a boy."

"Oh Heba, it doesn't matter if you have fins or feet." Yugi softly chuckled as he wiped away Heba's tears. "We love you for who you are on the inside: Our very brave little prince."

"Just like your mother." King Solomon said from the edge of the ice and water, next to Atem, Joey, Seth, Malik, Ishtar, Ryou, and Kisara.

"Oh, Great-Grandpa Solomon!" Heba leapt up and gave the only relation on his mother's side a hug, which was happily returned.

"Heba, I don't blame you for wanting to join us merfolk." Solomon said after the two separated. "Because you're my great-grandson, I'm giving you a most precious gift: A choice."

"A choice?" Heba asked, wondering how a gift could be a choice, especially since he felt like he needed to get grounded for a month.

"Yes." Solomon nodded. "You can come to Atlantica with me... or you can return to your home on land. It's up to you."

Heba gasped and looked to his parents, who just smiled as they knew it was up to Heba. Looking to the ocean, he watched as Ryou and Kisara slid out of the water to Bakura, who embraced them in a hug, and turned his eyes to Atem.

'_Isn't being with the one you loved what it was really about?_' Heba thought, mulling things over in his mind.

"I have a better idea." Heba grinned as a light bulb went off in his head.

* * *

"You're sure about this?" Atem asked his Hikari as he sat up next to him.

"Nope." Heba shook his head. "I just hope this works."

Taking a deep breath, Heba looked to his great-grandfather who was next to him on a rock in the ocean. Gripping the trident, Heba activated its power and pointed it at the wall that separated the country of Egypt from the ocean.

With a rush of magic, Heba watched as the wall melted away, revealing his parents, friends, the sacred court, and the people of Egypt on the other side.

"Now we can _all_ be together!" Heba cheered as he waved to his family, grinning as his mother playfully put his feet into the ocean.

Rebecca grinned as she was finally able to see Yugi and Ryou again after 16 years. And what better way to say 'It's great to see you again', than with a song?

_Whoo! I feel the music playing_

_It's swinging and it's swaying_

_Life is a rhapsody_

_Today we're so delighted_

_Today we're all united_

_Here on the land and sea_

Heba jumped into the water, followed by Atemu, who was pulled into a group hug by Duke and Tristan as they watched the merpeople and the people of Egypt greet for the first time in 16 years.

_I see the sails are sailing_

_Even the whales are whaling_

_We're swimming' fancy free_

_We're feeling better now_

_We sing together now_

_Here on the land and sea_

Yugi couldn't help the squeal as Atemu picked him up from behind and leapt into the ocean. The two kissed as they surfaced, barely noticing Mana jumping in with the twins Aamir and Haniya, and Bakura pulling in Ryou and Kisara.

_La-dee-da! Pick up the beat!_

_Move your fins and move your feet!_

_Life is sweet! Life is grand!_

_Blowing bubbles with the brass bass band._

"Everybody now!" Rebecca called to the people of Egypt who weren't too keen on getting into the water.

"Come on in!" Heba called to the reluctant folk with a huge smile. "There's plenty of water for everyone!"

"Cannonball!" Joey shouted as he jumped past the nervous folk into ocean.

Yes. Joey had finally asked to be changed to a human, and Seth agreed with his mother. Joey wanted to be with Seto, but Seth's reason for staying close was to be with Kisara.

Marik had been changed into a merman so he could join Malik and Ishtar in the ocean. The two had found the idea of living in Egypt nervous for some reason, so Marik joined them instead of asking them to join him.

Yugi chuckled at the thought as he and Heba floated past each other before climbing up onto a rock. Yugi gave Heba his seashell pendent back as he sang.

_There's no more stormy weather_

Heba smiled as the familiar feel of his locket settled around his neck and sang back.

_Now we can sing together_

Yugi and Heba harmonized with each other as they shared a hug.

_In perfect harmony_

Rebecca joined their singing as the ocean had a wave splash on the rock Heba and Yugi were standing on, getting them even more wet.

_We're feeling better now_

_We sing together now_

_here on the land and sea_

Rebecca began to direct singing as she pointed the people of land and the creatures of the sea, each singing their part.

_Those on land sing_

_La-dee-dah-doh_

_Those below sing_

_Lo-dee-doh-doh_

_Life is sweet_

_As sweet can be_

_On the land and on the sea_

"Everybody sing!" Rebecca cheered as she flopped back into the surf.

"Come on Mahad, join us." Atemu called to his friend, who had remained on the seashore. "The water's great!"

"I think not, sir." Mahad replied as he eyed the ocean. "The idea seems rather absurd."

Tamim however, gave a Silver Fang grin and knocked the High Priest into the ocean next to his wife Isis.

_We're feeling better now_

_We sing together now_

_Here on the land and sea_

Hugging his family, Heba knew that for the time being, he belonged here. But ultimately, Heba decided to live in Atlantica with Atem. Aamir would become pharaoh when it was time.

When King Solomon died, Heba inherited the throne as Solomon's great-grandson, and had three children with Atem, often visiting their family in Egypt.

Kisara and Seth also got married and had two children. Duke and Tristan also had two kids to enjoy life with.

_We're feeling better now_

_We sing together now _

_Here on the land and sea_

* * *

**Alverna:** The End! How sappy was that?

**Marik:** Since you asked...

**Malik:** Don't even finish that sentence.

**Alverna:** Thank you to everyone who favorited, subscribed, and reveiwed to this story. I'm going to start 'Why did it come to this?' (How did it come to this? sequel), soon. I just don't know when.

**Yugi and Atemu:** Please Review anyway!


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